The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-09-14
THE THREE PALSY.

General Lucius Fairchild seems to be
e man who knows when he has enough
There are people in this world who d.
not know when to quit. FairchilC
is commander-in-chief of that mos
worthy organization of worthy men
the Grand Army of the Republic. bu
he says he has had enough of it anc
wants to let go. That is, he is not {
candidate for reelection. The general
however, is not entirely free from guile
in the matter. According TO him his
disposition to retire is born Of no lack
of appreciation OF the honor attaching
to the position, but is induced
solely by desire to attend to
his private affairs, which for the
past year he has been compelled to
grievously neglect in order that he
could devote his time and talents to the
welfare of the 6. a. R. His reason and
explanation would be accepted and
commended if people were without
memories, and could not recall events
transpiring within a year. 1t was
only a year since General Falrchild
was moving heaven and earth, as 1t
were, to secure his election to the posi-
ton which be is now so eager to sur
render. He and his friends were
pulling for him weeks before the tIlAe
Of the election, and such infuenCe as
they could bring to bear in his favor
was not allowed to go unemployed. AS
the general is a man OF at least ordinary
intelligence, he knew a year ago about
what the duties of the Office were, and
how much of his time would be re-
CURED; he must have known how his
private business would suffer from
neglect, yet he Eas most eager to un-
dertake the labor and make the sacrifice
required.
There is reason to believe General
Fairchild's desire to withdraw from the
contest to be conducted to a finish in
st. Louis this month is inspired by
other motives than a wish to devote
himself to his private business. 1t is
not SO long ago that the general
rushed franticalIy into a gathering of
Grand Army men in New York
and there being no paddock on his lips,
his mouth ran away with him. He
said things about the President of the
United States which only mailman or
a blackguard would have said. He
used language which ought never to be
uttered by a gentleman. He tried by
cunning, bombast and momentary en-
thusiasm to place the Grand Army in an
attitude towards the national admins
tration, which it would have been dis
graceful for patriotic soldiers to occupy.
He undertook, at one turn, to convert
an organization which should be the
farthest removed from party politics,
intosa huge political machine to be ma
nipulated aud operated in the interest
of the party TO which he belonged. T.
was on that occasion that he acquired
the title of Three Palsy" which will
doubtless cling to him through life. We
are inclined to believe that the generals
desire to step down and out is due
to his knowledge that were he
g candidate for re- election, he
would be repudiated by the
patriot ex-soldiers who understand the
G. a. R. to be anything but political
or partisan organization. If Fairchild
stood reasonably fair chance for re- cleo
ten, he would be more eager for con-
tinuation in the place than he was
year ago to reach it, because q second
term and at .his time, would be vindi-
cation and equivalent to an endorse
ment of his efforts to turn the Grand
Army over to the Republican party. AS
there seem to Be more patriots than
partisans, more true soldiers than
political demagogues, Fairchild wisely
retires from position in which he has
proven anything but creditable to the
q. s. R. He seeks to make a virtue of
g necessity, but the country will core
rectly interpret his actions and utter
ances and will properly applaud the
Grand Army boys for making it ap-
parent to FsirchiId that when he
uttered his famous TRADE against
Cleveland he disqualified himself for
the office of Commander-in-Chie of an
associa lion of veteran soldiers.
4 GOOD BEGINNING.
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